Letters: Readers flunk school suit

LETTERS

Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Thursday, April 29, 2010

Can't believe it

In regard to “Districts to tangle with state over how to grade students” (Page B1, Monday), I can't believe I am reading this. Eleven Texas school districts are asking to be able to give at least a 50 on a test even if the actual grade is lower. They are fighting a new law that promotes truthful grading. So what they want to do is take kids that are not learning their lessons and give them a grade that might help them pass a subject that they didn't learn.

This is a perfect example of the problem we have with our education system today. Nobody wants to teach anymore. These districts are causing more harm to the kids and this country by allowing some to pass a subject that they don't know.

I'd rather the district spend more money on programs that actually teach them something. That would be a novel concept, a school teaching the kids.

My dad retired from teaching at a trade school, and he said they had to teach a large percentage of the students the basics — the basics — before they could even start the regular courses. Teach the kids, love the kids and help make this country a better place again.

So the Houston area school districts are suing the state education commissioner to prevent him from enforcing a new state law that requires schools to record the actual grade a student earns on an assignment instead of automatically giving the student credit for doing 50 percent of the work.

The school district's argument is that a 50 percent grade is easier to make up than, say, a zero, with the goal being dropout prevention.

There are really two very good reasons to enforce the new Texas law. First, the students are being sent a message that there are no consequences for poor behavior by awarding them grades they did not earn. This is not a good message to send to underachieving kids.

Second, if a student is not going to do the work, we should let them drop out. Class sizes would be reduced and the teachers could actually spend their time on the students who are there to learn. Education would actually be more effective. Entirely too much time and resources are expended on disruptive students who care nothing about learning, evidenced by them not even attempting to complete an assignment.

Perhaps we should simply go to a pass/fail system. I often wonder what the true difference is between a 95 and a 98. The valedictorian could be selected on the basis of contributions to both school and community instead of the smartest, or rather the one with the highest mark.

High schools and then colleges should be more interested in teaching young people the value of their contributions to society rather than making the big dollars. The latter has resulted in too many graduates becoming self-centered and selling themselves to the highest bidder.

Again, asked but not answered, what is the difference between 95 and 98, except a better guess on an exam?

— W.T. ROYSugar Land

Amused by Harris County

In regard to “County OKs hybrid public defender office; If state awards grant, staff could start in October” (Page B2, Wednesday), as an advocate for the public defender's office, I have to confess that I am a little amused as to why it has actually begun to evolve. It wasn't all the criticism of the broken criminal justice system, not the lack of confidence in court-appointed lawyers, and not well-thought out arguments about it; in the end the experimental system is being started “as long as the state covers the $4.4 million cost for the first year.”

Kudos to Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia for placing the last straw on the camel's back when he said the jail is full, and to the taxpayers who said they will not pay for another jail.

While I can understand some of the concerns of the U.S. military, I was a bit dismayed by the Associated Press article “Are school lunches a national security threat?” (April 20, chron.com). While it is startling to think that more than a quarter of young adults in the U.S. are obese, my primary concern is not for the U.S. military but for those individuals, who likely will face both some physical health problems and some stereotyping or discrimination.

Obesity is linked to many serious health issues, which is why it is important that appropriate measures are taken to encourage children and youth to be healthier. However, this isn't always easy. Obesity has several possible causes, including overeating, but recent studies have also linked it to food insecurity. Children without enough food or enough quality food are also at risk of being overweight or obese.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 16.7 million children experienced food insecurity. That is nearly a quarter of all kids in the U.S. Along with obesity, food insecurity increases risk of behavior problems, diminished mental proficiency, and developmental delays, among others. One option for increasing healthier eating options for all kids, those experiencing food insecurity and those who are not, is the passage of the Farm to School Improvements Act of 2010, which will provide funds for schools to partner with local farms, both in receiving produce and in having students learn about growing food and healthy eating habits.

Let's improve the health of our kids so that when they come of age, they can decide for themselves whether or not they want to join the military. And let's focus a bit less on body size and a bit more on healthiness.

Coming from a family where my mother and almost every member of three generations have suffered from diabetes, one can see what an artificial pancreas could mean for sufferers (“Artificial pancreas a bridge to a cure for Annie, others,” Page B9, Wednesday). Until you have walked in the shoes of a diabetic or their family, no one can know the devastation to the body in so many ways, including blindness and amputation of limbs.

I have been fortunate to be spared, but my sister has suffered from hypoglycemia for years. This condition is the opposite of diabetes, but could change without her careful monitoring of diet and exercise. I fully support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in its efforts to change the face of diabetes with its efforts to join with Johnson & Johnson in research to possibly create an artificial pancreas.